Life Support

I'm very tired tonight, so this probably will not be very exciting or make that much sense.

Let's talk about Rent. (Whenever I say "let's talk about" I think of the Salt 'n Pepa song from my youth...)

When news began to spread a few weeks ago that In The Heights was going to move to Broadway, I heard right away that the rumor about it going to the St. James was false. I hoped the whole thing was false. I remember reading in Variety how the producers said they were staying put, a wise move, if you ask me. And the St. James? Come on! So I discounted the whole thing, as I did when I received the release that Once Around the Sun was moving to Broadway. Same with Zanna, Don't! (Though I also discounted the Jay Johnson show and that did move, so clearly I'm not always right...)

Then I heard from a very good source that the producers of In The Heights, two of which are of course behind Rent, wanted it to go to the Nederlander. I believe it's unwise to close Rent, which because of its low running costs tends to make money, to move in In The Heights, so I still didn't 100% believe it. Then, when it got out that Adam and Anthony were coming back, it all made sense. Adam after all came back to close Aida too. These original cast members would be part of the final cast. It would in fact close, with them giving their all the final performances, just as they had the first. But then.... Tamyra Gray. It was announced that she'd be in until November 25. Now this does not mean they are obligated to keep the show open that long--but it looks unlikely based on that announcement that they are currently planning to close Rent in early September. This means, I believe, as of now, that the earliest they are planning on closing is the end of the year. If that is the plan, they'd probably ask everyone to extend through then and hope they do. BUT--that leads to another issue... Can In The Heights survive through then at 37 Arts?

In The Heights is not selling well, according to my sources. And, even if they are not paying rent, their cast is big. I can't imagine it comes in much under $140,000 a week. Can it last at the rate it is going? Is it worth it to hemorrhage cash off-Broadway for another 9 months? I think not. I want to point out that when things don't sell off-Broadway, they don't tend to sell on Broadway, though people continue to think they will. I understand that a show gets more attention on Broadway and is in a more tourist-friendly theater if on Broadway, but, still, that doesn't tend to make fortunes turn automatically. Nevertheless, I understand people like to believe in miracles, like (SPOILER) the lottery win that plays a part in the show's story. But, even if they are banking on a Broadway lottery prize, they need to get the show there sooner, rather than later. There will be no prize at 37 Arts unless J. Lo replaces Mandy Gonzalez.

I think I'm sort of off-topic at this point and I'm yawning. Night all.

It Could Please Me More, But...

As I sat through LoveMusik tonight, I thought about what was missing from the show. I've decided it's Brooke Sunny Moriber--how is an esoteric, pretentious musical complete without her? I really don't think it is.

Anyway, yes, I missed a post on Sunday. It was not my fault--I could not load the blogger software either Sunday night or Monday morning and by Monday afternoon I lost the energy to look. You shall all forgive me, I'm sure.

So I guess the biggest news of the week is Cabaret. (Small note: it always helps to keep these things in perspective--this was considered huge news on the rialto today, but, our huge news is actually very, very small news to the general public... even the public that lives on 54th street. And by Friday really no one will care.) I must admit I hadn't heard about Cabaret. I had heard Roundabout they hired David Grimm to work on an adaptation of Cyrano, which seemed very Roundabout, but nothing on Cabaret prior to today. The big topic today stemming from this was: Is this right for the Roundabout to do? And I say this--I'd like if they always took risks and didn't bring back shows we just saw, but I can't blame them for wanting a hit. Roundabout has a tendency to mount expensive shows. Without Studio 54 they have two theaters to do this expensive stuff in. And assuming they are still planning on taking over the future 950-seat theater in the building where Henry Miller's Theatre used to be, there will be three (I haven't checked up on this in a while--so please don't hold me to it). Now, sure they get money from tons of grants and subscribers, etc., but having a hit at one of their theaters helps fund the other stuff. I have a story in The Times today in which Roundabout AD Todd Haimes talks a little bit about financing issues and how it's hard to mount big things. No one would argue about that. Even with subsidy, it's not easy. So extra money coming in is handy. And will we miss sitting through shows at Studio 54? The truth is, with the possible exception of Assassins (which I didn't like, but was well-staged for the place), nothing other than Cabaret has really worked at 54. I'd rather write off 54 and see bigger, more well-realized productions at the AA and Laura Pels than have them all running cheaper new stuff.

Am I a fan of everything Roundabout does? Nope. Did I went a set and bigger cast for Apple Tree? Yup. Do I have any personal desire to see Cabaret again? Oh, no. (Though I'd totally be excited if it were like Kirsten Dunst in...) And I completely realize why people are upset about this and I respect their opinions. I'm just saying off all the things to pick on, bringing back Cabaret strikes me as a minor one.

Put on a Happy Face

Roundabout Theatre Company had great success with the old-fashioned musical The Pajama Game last season. So now there is a rumor that they are turning their attention to another bright bouncy show, Bye Bye Birdie. Unlike Pajama, Birdie has never had a Broadway revival, and nothing says it is actually on its way.

Roundabout is indeed planning a workshop of Birdie, directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom, this summer. And I'm sure they are putting feelers out there to see if they can get a star. But this all doesn't mean we'll be seeing it. We might and we might not. Roundabout has done plenty of readings and workshops of shows we never saw there--I remember Baby most of all for some unknown reason.

If the production actually does happen, I hope it is in the American Airlines, I can't take many more 54 musicals and I don't think Birdie would fit there. Birdie needs a shiny theater to match its score. I also hope they get a great cast, the show doesn't hold up without one (see the Encores! mounting of a few years ago).

My head feels like it's ready to explode so that is it for today. More Sunday.

I'm Feeling Reflective... Bizarrely

In 1993 there was a big study released which said that, based on the previous 50 years, 76% of musicals and 80% of stage plays did not recoup their investment. Today we always say, 1 in 5 makes money, which is basically the same thing. However I worry that in 50 years when do this survey, we'll see that even fewer productions are recouping. Why? Many reasons... Of course I worry about increased productions costs outpacing inflation and ticket price increases (no matter how ridiculous those seem). But more than that, I believe that the loss of the old-school Broadway producer will one day soon be felt in ways more tangible than simply reduced show quality.

I was at a dinner party this week with a bunch of industry folks, many of whom are part of the new crop of investor-producers. Many of you not in the industry may not know/care anything about this, but in recent years we've seen less lead producers who dedicate their life to theater producing and run their shows like businesses. We've seen more of people who in the past might have been mere investors, now taking producer billing. A lot of these people are dabbling in theater--it's not their lives work or anything. Now, I'm all for anyone who wants to produce a Broadway show. We need those people--this is a risky business and without the people who are willing to take risks, there would be nothing on Broadway. (There is no sure thing.) But, the problem is, if these people don't surround themselves with veterans who are willing to speak up, it sort of ends up that there is no one steering the ship. These are people who believe in their project, but they can't really guide it, if guidance is required.

It's like, at this dinner party, I spoke to a producer about to have his first Broadway show. He has invested before, but never seen his name on the Playbill front page. He said he was very proud of a recent reading of his piece--everyone loved it. I asked who was there and it was a list of 40 friends. Enough said.

Now there are still people who run their shows as businesses--I have my opinions on this and feel free to leave yours--but a lot of it is going on love. I'm all for love. If you have the money (or know people who have the money) and you believe in something, I'd like to see it. As a matter of fact, I am all for seeing multiple versions of In My Life a season. I think I might be pretty much alone in that though. For those who are paying $125 a ticket, they want something that is a well thought out, cohesive product. To get that product shows frequently require a real producer. Without that element, I worry. Sure, attendance is up, but I fear it will not keep rising. How long before show quality effects the overall bottom line?

What the...

The Pulitzer is the biggest of the prestige awards. It sounds most exciting to people throughout the world. This year it was given to Rabbit Hole and there was much press about how that wasn't even nomination. How can something win an award it wasn't nominated for if there are in fact nominees? Well, thems the rules. My big question was not "How does that happen?" but rather "What the hell are these plays that were nominated?"

I shall share some basic info about each, as I'm sure 90% you people don't know anything about them either (though my friends Don and Billy saw one of them are very proud of that fact, so they are not in the 90%).

Orpheus X by Rinde Eckert
Had its world premiere at the American Repertory Theatre in Boston from March 25 through April 23 of last year. It's a modern reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. In this version, Orpheus in a famous singer. Apparently the show calls for a lot of music and video.

Bulrusher by Eisa Davis
Had its world premiere in our great city--under the auspices of Urban Stages. (I don't think I've ever seen an Urban Stages show and I admit that despite the fact that I know they have fans that probably read this blog.) The show, which ran from Mar 8-April 9, 2006, is a racial drama. It's about a girl that was found floating within a basin in a river. I'm serious.

Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Received its world premiere this January 2006 at The Culture Project. I gather it's about some guy who comes home from Iraq and has to come to terms with his life and the lives of family members. The young soldier's father and grandfather were also soliders. I think it's all done in monologue form, which doesn't sound so great to me, but I'm not a Pulitzer jury member.

On another note--I choose to think that no one is going to produce the Virginia Tech killer's plays, though I'm sure that is optimistic.

That's it. It's very late and I've partied too hard and I'm tired.

Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?

I strongly oppose the career of Avril Lavigne, the firing of Don Imus and the closing of Empire roller rink. I just had to get that off my chest. Moving on...

I love Tony eligibility meeting days--I always examine the decisions thoroughly, as anyone who reads this blog knows. This time around, as often happens, the press release from the Tony people didn't answer one of my major questions. That was: Will The Coast of Utopia score be eligible for a Best Original Score Tony? Now, I know, you readers out there who aren't Tony historians, are thinking "Wow, I thought Cara knew things, but, no, she doesn't even know that Coast of Utopia isn't a musical." In fact, plays have been nominated in the Best Score category. I think the most recent example was in 1999 when Jeanine Tesori's score for Twelfth Night was nominated. But, I checked, and Mark Bennett's music for The Coast of Utopia will in fact not be eligible. People I trust believe this is because the majority of the score is not performed live, the previous play nominees we can think of had live music. If this is in fact the reasoning behind its ineligibility--and I have no evidence it is--I have to wonder how long that reasoning will hold up. How long ago was it that the Tony committee argued about whether a show with prerecorded hits could be considered an actual musical? How many years until they debate whether a score--of either a play or musical--has to be performed live to be considered eligible? After all, we are living in the age of synthesizer machines--will music from them someday be considered live? Or maybe at least live enough to count? Things to ponder.

I'm exhausted

I'm so tired I can hardly sit up. I'm like 10% Cara--very very far from full force.

I have these quick things of news:

Marsha Mason will come back to the New York stage again in Sarah Treem's play at Playwrights Horizons.

It appears that Signature is doing a season of Charles Mee plays starting with his take on Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis. (I don't think this has been announced, but it might have been... If it has, just ignore me.)

The next play at New World Stages' 499-seat Stage 1 will be Doug Grissom's Elvis People, a play about people influenced by Elvis. (I have no idea what that means exactly.) Starts in June.


OK--that's not much, I know... Two lame posts in a row... But stay tuned. Don't leave me now. I have things in my head--I just need to sleep more for them to come out of my head.

A Lotta Locomotion

For my birthday this week, I received a big bouquet of balloons in the shape of flowers. They were almost the size of my apartment and they kept swaying and knocking things over. One of the things that was knocked over was a VHS of the Starlight Express B-Roll. I had never watched the whole thing, but I picked it up off the floor and finally did and it struck me how times had changed. It looks a joke now--some Saturday Night Live skit of a Broadway show.

Timing came up a lot this week, with people wondering if The Pirate Queen would have fared better if it had opened in the late 1980s or early 90s. I like to think not. I like to think it would have been seen as bad then, as well. For me, there is a difference between things being not of the time and things being incorrectly executed. (I went to see Room Service today at the Soho Playhouse and, while clearly of a certain time, it holds up because it was done well, but that is just a side note, only sort of related to my point.) Yes, there are certain things that play best at a certain time. For instance, we live in a cynical time where musical comedies delivered with a wink have a better shot at survival than old-fashioned earnest tuners. (And please don't write me that Drowsy Chaperone is evidence that old-fashioned musicals can be a success because that show is intentionally not earnest.) But I like to think there is a certain level of quality that rises above the tastes of a time.

There has also been a lot of discussion in the industry as to whether Legally Blonde can take away some of Wicked's repeat teen visitors. Someone actually said to me this week: "If I were a producer of Wicked, I'd be scared." Um.... I wouldn't be. The difference is, the cult fans of Wicked identify with the green girl. People want to root for her because everyone has been teased at some point in their lives or felt like an outcast. That is why those girls go back time and again to that show. They may attend Legally Blonde, maybe even more than once, but Legally Blonde will never steal them away from Wicked. Legally Blonde has a heroine who very few people can identify with--she's rich and from Beverly Hills. Sure, you want her to triumph and you cheer when she does, but not many people are going to have the visceral connection to Elle Woods as they do to Elphaba. This has nothing to do with whether Legally Blonde will be a hit--I'm sure many teens will want to see it and so will their parents--I'm just saying the cult Wicked fans will likely stay put.

Anyway, I know many of you might think this post is lame and decidedly not juicy, but I'm tired and a little overwhelmed. Come back Wednesday for some gossip. I'll come up with something before then.

Who Are You Now?

I celebrate the first two days of Passover each year, so I haven't been around Broadway news much since the last post. I did, by the way, receive many emails about that last post. One of the comments left below (I had 3 whole comments!) and 6 of the emails were about how the news sites must have based their Daniel Everidge spelling on an incorrect press release. I do not believe that to be the case--both stories said their news was done in reaction to a video. So, there is the general answer to that.

On another front... Tonight, in addition to my blog emails, I had many notes about the Paper Mill Playhouse. Poor, poor Paper Mill. I have to say, I sort of blame Michael Gennaro, and not because he left and his departure affected this year's fundraising. But, because, while he was there, he showed a very limited knowledge of his audience. Gennaro came from Steppenwolf--which has a much more adventurous bunch of subscribers than Paper Mill. Paper Mill audiences like old traditional musicals--they don't like Baby and Harold and Maude (of course I'm not sure who would have liked that Harold and Maude, despite the fact that one of my favorite people was in it, but that's not the point). I know why Gennaro tried new things--he was afraid the NJPAC was taking away their old show business and he came from a place where new things are respected. I totally appreciate what he attempted--but it was always doomed. When he announced his first season, I was puzzled. So were many potential subscribers. In the end, his work alienated Paper Mill's core base. Paper Mill became a theater with an identity crisis. No one new what to expect from it and not in a "you have to run and catch it!" kind of way. And Gennaro, who is undoubtedly a smart guy, just didn't get it--I heard from countless people who worked there that he had no sense of where he was employed. He didn't get why Paper Mill couldn't attract big stars or more attention. When his reign was clearly going to go down as a disaster, he bailed. He left at a horrible time, which sucks for the theater, but what sucks more is he didn't leave earlier.

I for one have often liked my visits to Paper Mill, as cheesy as they may have been. Where else in the area could I have seen Funny Girl onstage? And, while I don't get why they choose Kiss Me, Kate and Little Shop, both of which have been seen recently on Broadway, I was looking forward to seeing Meet Me in St. Louis next season.

I hope the fundraising effort works and the theater survives. The board there clearly shares the blame with Gennero for what has happened--they didn't fund raise like they should and they backed him unwisely--but they don't deserve to be out of business. If you can, attend the fundraiser on Monday.

Rock N' Roll Party King

According to Playbill and Broadway World, Daniel Everedge is playing Roger in Grease. If you googled his name and didn't find anything, there is a reason. His name is actually Daniel Everidge. Both sites misspelled it. Now, it could have been that they both made the mistake naturally, but I would tend to believe one copied off of the other. (If I were to bet, I'd say Broadway World cheated off of Playbill because I have more faith in Andrew Gans that an anonymous Broadway World writer, but I don't even know if this was a stealing incident, so I certainly don't know who did what if it was.)

For those of you who care, Daniel Everidge received a BFA in musical theatre from Otterbein College. His biggest credit is spending a couple of years at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Also, oddly, he seems to have worked for Binder casting, the Grease casting agency. Check this out: http://jamescliftonhuffman.com/photos.cfm
scroll down to "Stop, Drop & Roll: ProActive NY short film fest" and look at the middle picture second row down. Interesting, right? (That is, if you could apply the word "interesting" to anything about supporting Grease casting.)

That is it for tonight because I must go work. A zeisen pesach to those who celebrate.

Enough Already

Jackie Mason is returning to the New York stage. He will be at Feinstein's at the Regency from April 10 through April 21. I'm not posting this to advertise for him, I'm warning people. I mean, I don't care that he is going to be at Feinstein's, that's not really a theatrical venue, but I am concerned that the show is called All New: A Pre-Broadway Comedy Workout. As if that title wasn't obvious enough, press materials say that this is indeed moving to Broadway. Someone make the terror stop.

I understand that the press materials need to say the piece "features his usual potent mix of political satire and insightful observations," but we all know Mason hasn't had a potent mix of anything for years. I can only pray it doesn't ever take up a Broadway theater. There aren't that many of them, people. And yet I fear his return is somewhat inevitable. Why? Because the same people always back him and they have money. That's the reason. But we can still all pray that he strains something during this workout. That would be ideal.

On a totally unrelated topic, I want to thank everyone for their kind emails post-accident. I am doing much, much better and made it out of my apartment two whole times this week (today without escort). My big outing of the week involved taking part in the SPF panel on Theatre Bloggers on Monday night. That night, I learned that with a combination of pain pills and massive amounts of caffeine and sugar, my energy level could appear normal for 4-5 hours, concussion or not. I also learned many other things. As I've said here before, I'm not a big blog reader, so I don't usually recommend blogs, but I do want to give shout-outs to my fellow panelists: Isaac Butler (Parabasis -- http://parabasis.typepad.com/), Garrett Eisler ( The Playgoer - http://playgoer.blogspot.com/) and George Hunka (Superfluities - http://ghunka.blogspot.com/). These guys are much more dedicated than I--they generally post more than a lousy two times a week and have been in this world for a lot longer. I admire their dedication! They each have their own unique niche and it was interesting to meet them and hear their opinions. I hope those of you who attended enjoyed it. Also, a special "thank you" to our moderator/Time Out New York's main theater man, David Cote (Histriomastix - http://histriomastix.typepad.com/weblog/).

I'm stopping this now so I can toast the Broadway arrival of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin. I know you readers might think I am being sarcastic, but I'm not. I'm genuinely excited.

I've got chills

Today was a big day for Broadway... and, let's face it, America. Today was the day it was announced whether the people of America (or at least the small number that cares about Grease: You're The One That I Want) wanted miscast Danny or talent-free gay Danny to be their Danny on Broadway. And the winner was... miscast Danny! I was happy Max defeated Austin Miller, but, more than that, I was happy this stupid show was over. I had felt a responsibility to watch it, but each week i questioned why. Now I can put it behind me and go back to watching better trashy television. (I mean--that big deal Billy Bush made last week about the fans buying Ashley's sister a ticket to come... There are fans? And, more importantly, NBC couldn't splurge on an Ohio to LA voyage?)

But, before I let You're The One That I Want go, I want to comment on the appearance of the actual Grease supporting cast at the end of the show. Umm.... Does the camera age? A lot? Or did Kathleen Marshall not understand the age range involved in high school when she approved their looks? Of course, almost all high schools shows are cast with actors who are a lot older than high school age. But they typically are young-looking and are made to look even younger. In this case, I've seen most of those people look a lot younger. For instance, I've never thought Jenny Powers looked like she was in her mid-30s, but, here she looked like a school teacher trying to get wild. And I can't even start on the guys. I'm hoping it was just an odd look for the cameras. Yeah. Because I can't invest anymore time on that show, I'm going with that.

OK, I have to address the "white coats" mentioned in the last post. I did not know Jamie was writing that and I wasn't thrilled when I found out he had. It totally makes me sound like I was institutionalized. I'm sure people who know me well thought: "They finally got smart and took her away..." In fact, I, who have always been prone to accidents, was the victim of a renegade skateboarder (really). The police caught him in a chase (really), but I was left with head trauma and a lovely wrist-band from the hospital. In other words, the mental institution is still to come.

While I am mainly okay, I am having some trouble seeing and thus I'm not really up on Broadway news. So, instead of writing about something that just happened, I am going to talk a little bit about the strategic announcement of VH1 Classic's involvement in Rock of Ages a couple of weeks ago. First of all, lets realize that this is VH1 Classic, not VH1 or MTV. I don't even know where VH1 Classic is in my channel guide. But, of course, their advertising will certainly be a boon to this show regardless. It's a great thing. It is not however new news in many senses. The people at the network had been involved in Rock of Ages for a while--it's just that they chose to announce it a few weeks ago. Why? Every time I read a story I think "Why is this coming out now?" Because, in theater, there are very few reporters going out and uncovering things. The vast majority of what you read is purposely released at a given time.

Rock of Ages has not had a smooth path to New York. As originally planned, the show would be playing right now at the Daryl Roth, but it lost its funding. Then, for a while, it seemed it had it back. Then I found out the show had no money again. A couple of weeks ago there were backers auditions for the show held at New World Stages. The announcement in Variety that VH1 Classic--and possibly other Viacom networks--would be supporting the show came a week before these backers auditions. Now that is good planning! What the announcement did was put some real force behind the show right as backers were going to be considering it. So, it wasn't just about making the announcement, it was about raising money for the show. If they had announced the VH1 Classic thing a week before previews, it still would have made the pages of Variety, but that's it. This way, it helped raise money for the show and considering the producers need about $2 million for an off-Broadway hair metal musical, they need all the help they can get. I myself am still not confident about its arrival, but I hope it does come. I would almost always rather see a ridiculous musical than another pretentious one-person play.

OK, that tired me out for the day. Special note to anyone who is considering going to the SPF theater panel I am speaking on tomorrow: I am on a lot of pain killers, so, you may want to attend just to see me in sort of a trippy state.

I'm Not CJ

This is Cara's friend Jamie. Due to unforeseen circumstances (which involved men in white coats), Cara is unavailable to post today. She asked me to link to this amazing video in her absence, despite the fact it is not exactly theater-related.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzqjimUs2RU

She Wanted to Say

For years on my office cork board, I had a Playbill story with the headline "Off-Broadway's Blue Is Extending to Jan. 12, 2003; Orange You Glad?" hanging up. It wasn't because I had any attachment to Blue/Orange, lord knows I did not, it was because I thought that was the most ridiculous headline ever. But I found a new winner when procrastination led me to catch up on two weeks of Playbill headlines. And it is.... drum roll.... "The End is Nighy: Hare Cut Short as Vertical Hour is No Moore March 11." I mean, come on, that's impressive. There are so many layers there. I just can't say enough about it. Well, actually, that is basically enough.

Is anyone buying it was "scheduling conflicts" that derailed City Opera's planned Ragtime mounting? Last weekend I heard from four different people, Marty Bell was nixing the production. Then I heard from one person that it was some other guy that was causing the show to go bye bye. In none of these phone calls did I hear "scheduling conflicts" and, yet, that was the announced reason. Now, if that was true, why not announce a replacement time? As in, "Frank Galati won't be available in Spring 2008, but he'll be hanging around in Fall 2008, so we'll do it then." But, nope. And yet we're asked to fully buy the "scheduling conflicts" thing? Yeah... uh, huh...

Jack Goes Boating opens tonight. It's been somewhat under-the-radar, proving that just because someone wins a Best Actor/Actress Oscar that doesn't mean that person will necessarily cause major buzz (even in our tiny stage community where people sadly consider Laura Benanti a big star).

And has anyone else noticed how Jackie Hoffman is very in demand these days? She did that Rudnick show recently, she has her own show, she is going to be off-Broadway in J.A.P. next month and then in May she is going to be in Xanadu. That's a lot. I'm not going anywhere with this really, I'm just saying... It's my little shout out.

Oh, speaking of shout outs... A couple of weeks ago, I posted that I had written this story about there being four off-Broadway shows with "Jew" in their title and I had read 3 or so other similarly-themed stories. I was trying to make the point that clearly a lot of people found this notable. AND, in response to that post, I got an email from a Canadian reader who sent me a similar story from a small Canadian paper. I loved it. (Plus--who knew I had Canadian readers?) So this is my shout out/public thank you to Toronto resident Dave Anabelle. He managed to amuse me.

On a last note--has anyone seem James Snyder do anything? Let me know... Because if he is stepping into Johnny Depp's shoes, I need to hear something great. (Especially because I'm partial to this particular Depp role... and to musicals...) I know you won't let me down.

This post has been very random. It's sort of like being in my mind.

I have heard people rant and rave and bellow

I had another post in mind, but I really have to comment on the Scarlett Johansson stuff.

I'm always happy when any theater topic makes the cover of any paper other than The Stage, so I am thrilled news related to a revival of South Pacific was on the cover of The Post today. But I question the news itself.

Let's look at the story inside. It says that "Johansson is in the running to play Nellie Forbush." What does "in the running" mean? Is Bartlett Sher lining up random girls and making them sprint for the role? Is Johansson fourth slot over on the track sporting number 2 in honor of her character in The Island? I really don't get it because, let's face it, if Scarlett Johansson wanted to do it, she could just do it. She's not up against other people really. Sure, the Weisslers might turn down Tara O'Connor going into Chicago because she wasn't good, but if Scarlett Johansson wanted to stand onstage at the Ambassador and do nothing, they'd change the musical so she could.

Michael (who I do like) says later on in his story "Reese Witherspoon and Kelli O'Hara are also on Lincoln Center's wish list." (I'm ignoring the fact that O'Hara would be on a wish list with these other people as it is out of the scope of this post, but, trust me, I did chuckle at it.) So, basically, now he's saying Scarlett is just on a random wish list with these other people. Let me tell you, I've written a musical about a girl who works as a theater journalist and is also a slurpee and TV junkie and Kirsten Dunst is in on my wish list to play the lead. In addition to her, there is Madonna, just cause. I've even thrown in Halle Berry on the list because I think she might sell tickets. Maybe I'll email Variety and see if they want to cover it. Oh, wait! I can write my own big story about it! I can pitch it to People. That's so on my list of things to do tomorrow. That and purchasing a Pina Colada Slurpee.

Listen, I'm not saying we won't see Scarlett up there at the Beaumont. I think it's unlikely, but, stranger things have happened. She is indeed a musical fan, I've heard that from many people. But that's not the point. I still question reporting anything like this without being able to say "negotiations," "talks" or something of the sort.

The cost of war

Is the upcoming NYC mounting of Ragtime off? That's what my last phone call was about... but the details why it would be are so iffy I cannot make this post about that.

Instead... I've gotten a few emails from people this week surprised that Journey's End is not doing better. I am not surprised. In America, we feel like we are overloaded by war. The images (however sanitized by our media) are inescapable. And, many people, blame our country, our own government, for what is going on. Most people want to escape the reality of such harsh happenings when they attend the theater; they don't seek it out. When I was at Journey's End, during a climactic final scene, someone exclaimed behind me: "I didn't need this now!" I'm sure others were thinking similarly.

Journey's End received good reviews and it is a strong drama, but ticket sales aren't always about quality (or perceived quality). Do reviews have a force in ticket sales? Of course they do. (Though I have long thought they are more likely to dissuade than encourage, that is a topic for another time.) But reviews can't make people run to the theater if they are wary of the topic of the show.

Journey's End was a hit in London, but it has never been above 50% capacity at the Belasco. That's sad, but putting on a show is all about timing and knowing your audience. Would the play be doing better if Orlando Bloom or Josh Harnett had done it? Probably (assuming whichever one of them it was didn't get the worst reviews ever), but neither of those names would make it a hit. This show was always going to be a tough sell. I personally liked it much better than Translations. That doesn't mean anything really, but i wanted to throw it in.

Where for art thou Olivia?

How about Kerry Butler? That was the "big" news this week, I suppose, or at least part of the big news. Kerry--who was recently let go from One Life to Live--of course did the first reading of the show (though the inference in the producer's statement that they always wanted her is crap, if you ask me). I have nothing bad to say about Kerry, please don't construe this post as an attack on her. But I wonder if a show like this can survive without a name on the marquee. To do so I suspect it will need total raves and amazing marketing. Stranger things have happened, but... Well, I wish it the best.

About a month ago I heard Deborah "Don't call me Debbie" Gibson was begging to be in Xanadu. This reminded me about how she was supposed to be the "star" casting that was going to save A Class Act. I doubt many of you out there know about that, but before the show closed, there was a rumor that they had a star going in. It was her! It never happened and wasn't even announced. I guess they decided her doing the Broadway boogie woogie wouldn't be enough to put them in the black.

Anyway, that was a random side story. So, the other part of the Xanadu announcement was the fact that it was opening next season, which I feel like I already knew, but, whatever. That means, Kerry cannot take a Best Actress slot and there is one less entry in every other category that musicals can be in. Now, while I heard the workshop was a lot of fun, I wasn't expecting it to be a big Tony winner, so, I'm not sure how much of a difference the date thing makes in terms of award season, but it is interesting. Traditionally, very few things open that soon after the Tony deadline unless Roundabout or MTC is doing them. It will be interesting if having the limelight to itself, means magic for Xanadu. I'm so all about roller-skating.

All apologies...

I had an illness in the family and I've been in LI dealing with it since Wednesday, so I've not been up on theater happenings. I haven't even checked email! (I literally got off the LIRR train at Penn Station tonight, ran to Joe Iconis' show and now am back in my apartment ready to sleep at 10pm.) I had a guest blog column about Fantasia stored, but I was asked not to run it. So I got nothing and I really, really need to sleep. Thus please excuse this column. Wednesday is another day.

Some Questions

This past fall, I wrote a story for a weekly about the fact that there are four off-Broadway shows with "Jew" in their title. (Others have done a similar story since, but, I believe mine was the first... I'm just saying...) The story was inspired by my mother--she is always asking me to take her to things with "Jew" in their title. Sadly, while I am a very good daughter, I rarely get the energy up to go to such things. I only saw one--25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, which is closing March 18. It got much better reviews than, let's say, Jewtopia and yet it is closing well short of Jewtopia's run. Why?

Well, first of all, I must give credit to Jewtopia's marketing campaign. It was great marketing and well-targeted. The people behind it spent some cash to get the word out. So that show had those things working in its favor. Unfortunately 25 Questions, which ended up with an okay run, also had some things working against it.

The show transferred to its current home, St. Luke's, from a run at Ars Nova. (I will avoid talking about how ridiculous I thought it was to put a Jewish show at St. Luke's because I doubt that detracted more than a few ticket buyers.) As industry observers know, it's always hard to generate a lot of excitement when a show moves from one off-Broadway house to another. Many times, everyone who would cover the show already has, so you don't usually get tons of free publicity. And producers tend to spend a lot of their money on the first run, hoping buzz will build from there, a move that leaves them without major cash to advertise their new run.

Something many people may not realize is that 25 Questions had another thing working against it--the fact that it is co-written by and stars an out lesbian. It would have never occurred to me that this fact had anything to do with anything, but it sort of does. I pitched a story about 25 Questions to a conservative Jewish paper once and I got a response back saying they would "not feel comfortable writing about it." At first I was puzzled by this response, but then I realized what the issue was and I went from puzzled to pissed. Am I saying that this one publication is the reason this show isn't running as long as Jewtopia? Certainly not. But this type of attitude worked against this show. A few months ago I asked someone I knew that loved the show how many people she recommended it to; she responded that she had told some of her friends to go, but couldn't send her family because of the lesbian mentions. Sad, right? I find it so.

Speaking of Jewish questions, I will end this post with a personal glimpse into my past that just popped into my mind. I got kicked out of Hebrew school, but, before I did, I had to do this assignment that was like "Write god a two-page letter questioning how s/he allowed the Holocaust to happen." I wrote "Why did the Holocaust happen?" for two whole pages. My teacher was not amused.

Promotions

Excuse me if this is jumbled, I'm a little confused by some of the Academy Award choices tonight. And I'm also in the midst of my hours upon hours of Tivo-d post-show coverage (Jimmy Kimmel just picked on Jennifer Holliday as I type this).

I want to use this post to promote two things. The first is Campbell Robertson's New York Times story on "urban theatre" -- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/theater/21urba.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1172468193-C4jYHDV7eqWzTdMgrLc2tw . It's very rare people who cover Broadway write about works such as these. And I'm in total favor of it. I've long been fascinated by the separation that exists between these worlds. Years ago I wrote about a show called Love Makes Things Happen, a Babyface musical starring En Vogue's Dawn Robinson, that played the Beacon Theatre and I actually got emails questioning why I would cover such a thing. Of course I was like "Umm... Babyface. Dawn Robinson. Duh." Apparently other people just don't understand the genius of a theatrical piece that combines those two names. Or maybe they just don't consider these things real theatrical pieces--that might be a substantial part of the problem. I have to admit that when the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman came out, and journalists said it was based on an off-Broadway play, I was clueless. I had never heard of it. So I'm not the expert on this topic, but I have always been interested in it. How do these producers attract their target audience? Is it about the title? Casting? Campiness? This story doesn't really provide an in depth examination of the possible answers to these questions, but it is a good introduction to a touring theater business that many Broadway types might not be familiar with.

Now, for my second order of business, I need to promote Joe Iconis yet again. He has a show on March 4 at Joe's Pub and he is going to be singing some of his own stuff. I personally hope he sings his song "Helen" himself, but he has some special guests lined up (including Annie Golden and Celia Keenan-Bolger), so I have a feeling I may be out of luck. Don't let that discourage you though--I'm sure it will rock. He may even talk to the audience, so if you've been to his past Things to Ruin shows, where he never talks, that might be a special bonus for you.

Oh, just so you know, I didn't forget Frenchie in my Americal Idol analysis, I just got lazy. I mean, she has come and gone more than once... and I have no idea when... My friends involved in Rent say tons of people come just to see her, but, I honestly am not looking at the numbers.

I think it's time to erase Kimmel and go to my E! recording. Adios.

Idol-ized

I'm tired tonight, but I promised an American Idol analysis and an American Idol analysis there shall be. We hear a lot about AI alums being recruited by Broadway producers, as if them signing on means instant box office. But does it?

Tamyra Gray entered Bombay Dreams on November 9, 2004 for a 12-week stint, except the show didn't even last that long. Is that her fault? No, the show was on its way out before she joined the cast, but clearly they were thinking her addition would spark a huge ticket bump and it did not. A few weeks before she joined the cast, the show was up to around $543,000, but the week prior to her arrival it was at approximately $399,192. The week she joined, the musical shot up about $70,000, so it appeared Tamyra was the ticket. But then it fell back down. And while it had stellar holiday weeks during her reign, you can't really say her joining the cast was a huge silver bullet.

Hairspray seems to have had more success with Diana DeGarmo. Until mid-January of 2006, Hairspray was rolling in the low-to-mid $600,000 range, but then it began to fall into its inevitable winter slump. The week before DeGarmo joined the cast, the show made just $462,775. Her first week, it was up to $530,619. But the amazing thing is for the rest of February, when everyone in the industry thought it would be dead, it generally took in around $650,000 a week. Now that is not to say that casting DeGarmo consistently made Hairspray a top seller--I'm not blind, I know the show has struggled periodically over the last year even when she was there--but she does seem to have made an impact.

That brings me to Mr. Cool, Constantine Maroulis (I don't use that title in a kind way). It is particularly difficult to judge his impact on The Wedding Singer. This is because of the timing of his start. He began his run on September 8, 2006, that is just as tourists have headed home and shows generally enter a lull. His first full week, the show shot up a whopping $148,074 to $515,159, so go Constantine, except, the next week it was down at $433,503. It then went back up later in the fall, but it is really hard to place his impact. He does not seem to have had a big one, but we can't really say he had none, as we we don't know if the show would have done worse without him.

Now, before anyone sends complaint emails to me, I know these numbers don't tell the whole story. There are other factors that could effect the gross figures quoted above. Like, maybe one of these weeks mentioned, there was a bad storm that caused grosses to drop. Also, who knows if there were absences any of the time periods mentioned?!? I don't remember that crap years later. And there are a whole bunch of other points I'm sure people could raise, but, I can only account for so much in this forum.

It's interesting to think about these numbers because it is curious to think about what makes star casting effective. Is it just the star? Probably only in the case of Julia Roberts or someone like that. Is it the combination of star and show? That is more like it. Take Tamyra and Diana. As far as solo careers go, Tamyra has I believe been more successful than Diana (though Diana placed higher in AI and neither of them have proved to be pop stars by any means), but she seems to have made less of an impact for the show she joined. Could that be simply because her season of Idol was less-watched than Diana's season? Is it Tamyra's fault? Well... Tamyra Gray, who isn't Indian, entered a show about Indians that was known to be sort of a joke. Maybe Alicia Keys could have made it a blockbuster, but... Whereas Diana was seen as a cute lovable youngster and she entered a candy-colored musical that was known as a hit. That's more of a can't-miss combo.

This all leads to Fantasia, but I'm too tired to go there. Maybe next week. Also next week, maybe an examination of why The Producers will not last beyond April 2007.

Ticky Ticky Tock

When I first heard about Fantasia being in negotiations for The Color Purple (three weeks ago or so), I heard the teams were so far apart in terms of money, that the deal would likely never happen. So today, now that there are reports that the casting is happening, I was going to examine how much Fantasia will be worth to The Color Purple, if the deal is finalized. But that is going to have to wait for Wednesday because something so ridiculous happened to me at the theater on Friday, it deserves it's own blog post.

The scene: Adrift in Macao. I'm sitting in the third row up--I have two seats on the aisle, but I give the aisle seat to my friend Al, so I am one off the aisle. Sitting in front of Al, who is not tiny, is an old woman in a fur coat. To give you an idea of what she looks like, Al will later refer to her as Edith Beale, which is a pretty accurate moniker. I sit down about 7 minutes before the show starts. Al sits down about 4 minutes before the show will begin. For the purpose of this discussion, we will in fact call this old frail woman Edith.

Edith (turning around and facing Al): Stop kicking my seat! We're in the theater! Stop kicking my seat! In a movie theater downtown, there is a sign that says "please don't kick the seats," maybe you should go read it.

Al: I didn't do anything.

Me: He didn't kick your seat. He just sat down.

Edith: You're not theater people are you?

Me (laughing a little): Umm... trust me, we're theater people.

Al: You think you're a theater person because you have a fur?

Edith: It's not about the fur. I'm a depression era kid. That's what the fur is about. But stop kicking my seat! You kick my seat one more time, I'll break your arm.

Al: Oh, you will? Ok.... I'll call PETA.

Edith: Call whoever you want. Someone once said to me "I'll call the police," well fine, call them. I know what I'm saying. You're kicking me. I'm sitting on the edge here. Am I supposed to know who you are? Are you a star? Are you someone I should be scared of?

Now, this goes on and on. Edith stops for a second and then starts up again. Al is ignoring. I'm trying to ignore. It goes on about until curtain time. The woman next to me says: "I thought she was joking at first..." The show starts, we get about 30 minutes into it. Those of you who know me know I abhor anything that makes noise while a show is going on. So I do note every shift, every cough, everything. Al has not moved.

Edith (loudly, in the middle of a scene on a stage that, let me state again, we are three rows from): Stop kicking my seat! I can't sit like this! Stop kicking me! I'm gonna get someone.

Me (out loud and angrily, despite myself): He didn't move, Ma'am.

Woman next to me (grabbbing my arm): Just ignore her.

Fast forward about 2 minutes. An usher, heads to the woman to see the problem. He touches her from the side. Thinking it is Al, she turns around to her other side (thus not seeing the usher) and slaps his knee as hard as she possibly can with her glove saying something as she does it. I'm serious. She HIT him. Half the audience was watching--these people had no idea what was going on onstage for that period (if they had any idea beforehand), their attention was focused on crazy Edith. Now, I have no idea what the usher said to her or what she said, I was in shock. But she didn't bother us for the rest of the show. However, after the show, when we were standing upstairs waiting for a cast member, she started in again, talking about her fur and how she had a right to it. We chose to ignore. That was wise, I believe.

Whatever

Just a little bit ago, I was on 23rd street waiting for the light to change. It did and the mass of people who were standing with me started walking. There was a woman walking with a cane in the slush and I saw her begin to fall. Trying to be nice, I went to catch her. Do any of you out there think I am physically strong or have some body heft? If so, you're wrong. No good deed goes unpunished. The woman still fell and so did I. And so I am in a tad bit of pain right now and not really in the mood to post, so this will be brief.

I did want to point out something about this Tales of the City musical. Playbill put up something about it on February 9, but the story now seems to be gone, which I find very odd. Regardless, it was about how Jeff Whitty and Jason Moore (Avenue Q's librettist and director team) are developing a musical based on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. It spoke about the Avenue Q producers securing the rights right now. The story made no mention of the fact that this is not the first time we've heard about a Tales of the City musical. It was about 4 years ago when news was first reported about such a project. At that point, the Goodman Theatre had already secured the rights and David Petrarca was to direct. No details were ever announced, but Rufus Wainwright and Elvis Costello were the two people I heard mentioned most often to write the score. That sounded interesting to me, but, alas, I guess it is not gonna happen.

And on that note, I'm off to put some ice on my ankle.

This post is a little different; I'm feeling reflective

I know a girl, someone I used to work with, who spends some time making out with gay men. This would be fine if she was just all for making out and grabbed the closest thing, but, sadly, I believe she invests some emotion into these encounters. A couple of years ago, when we were on friendly terms and she was very drunk, I witnessed one of these encounters and her breakdown shortly after. She said something about her life to me, asked me my opinion and I said something about this habit and she said: "Cara, don't you think there are some topics you should just lie about?"

The truthful answer to that question is "no." When I feel strongly about something, I say it. Honestly. Some people think that is a bad aspect of my personality, maybe it is, but that is me. Some times I keep my mouth shut, but if I open it, you always get the response I believe in. Who respects a dishonest person? And who is afraid to speak the truth?

In the last few weeks, I have been reminded that the world has very definite notions about things you cannot speak about. I have a friend who is an editor at a soap opera magazine. Now, I'm a soap kid, so I would be qualified to write a piece for her magazine. Her particular magazine has, in the past, had guest editorials. I called her and asked her if I could do one. She immediately answered "yes, of course," but then asked me about the topic of my piece. I said I wanted to write about how I hate All My Children's transgender storyline. She quickly changed her answer to "no," not because she so loves the storyline and wants to protect it, but because she feels speaking out against it is un-PC. "You, with all your gay friends, should know better than this," she said. I was a little perplexed by this response and thought she might be crazy, but I asked others and they concurred with her. Why?!? I am not against there being a transgender storyline, I just believe this particular one is being handled in a moronic fashion. If that is construed as me being prejudice is anyway, the people who are interpreting it that way are stupid. Why is it that a publication should be that scared of something like this?

Today, on the way home from a business brunch, I ran into a theater critic who had recently given a good review to In the Heights. Now there were people I know who loved In the Heights, but I had spoken to this particular critic shortly after he had seen the show and I knew he didn't really like it. So, I was surprised to read his review on Thursday night, but just let it go. There are sometimes when shows grow on you, though this he saw two days before opening, so it was not like a fond memory. As he was standing in front of me, questioning me about a story I had published yesterday, I could not resist the urge to question him. Had the show indeed grown on him in retrospect? He stumbled on the answer. Then he gave some crap line about wanting to encourage young writers of different ethnicities and voices. Is that a reason to praise parts of a show you did not actually like? Is that cause enough to slant your views?

I just don't get it. Sadly it happens a lot--people afraid to speak out against things because they feel some sense of responsibility to support something or other. It's a phenomenon I don't understand because once you slant a perspective in the name of politics, you're in danger of becoming a marketing outlet, not one that fosters journalism.

(Ohmigod) you guys!

I am so happy Legally Blonde did well with critics. I heard insider rumblings that the show wasn't quite there AND I watched the video footage and got very worried for it (those costumes, which got good reviews, looked horrible to me), but, it is now an out-of-town hit. Yay. I've been a fan of this songwriting team for a long time, so I am happy for them in particular. But mostly I'm just happy I am not going to have to sit through another show this spring with bomb written all over it. I mean, sure, those are campy for about a second, but then... Now out-of-town positive notices do not necessarily spell Broadway success--Urban Cowboy people--but the show is one step closer.

I did my best to summarize below:

Dennis Harvey, Variety: "This fuchsia fluffsicle, socked over by choreographer-turned-director Jerry Mitchell, might not win over those opposed on principal to the Hollywoodization of Broadway. But its S.F. tryout is already a genuinely likable, splashy crowd-pleaser that could prove grumble-proof come its May Rialto launch... Bundy may not have Witherspoon's radiant warmth (who does?), but she engagingly makes the role her own even as she delivers a faithful reproduction of its originator's (nonsinging) character voice... So much of Legally Blonde is so smartly engineered, good looking, high energy and hilarious that it's easy to forgive those few moments sporting an earnestness this material can't easily support. (Much is lumped on Borle, though he manages to be funny when he can.) Among the show's many appealing aspects is how it manages to swim in broadly amusing shallows most of the time while avoiding heartlessness. The be true to yourself message is utterly by-the-numbers -- but such is the evening's charm that it doesn't seem fake."

Robert Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle: "It's a buoyant blend of comic invention, captivating performances, bright design and knock-'em-dead dance numbers as staged and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. But it loses momentum at key moments, about two-thirds of the way through each of its two acts... David Rockwell's slick, restless sets -- pieces of sorority, Harvard Law and courtroom interiors and exteriors, shops, a palatial bathroom, forever sliding into place and rearranging themselves -- and Gregg Barnes' hot-pink and cool-gray costumes amplify the visual experience to cartoon level. Mitchell takes advantage of every opportunity to inject similarly animated production numbers, while keeping the plot and clever interchanges of Heather Hach's faithful book crystal clear... Broadway veteran Bundy isn't an outstanding dancer -- not in this company -- but she has a strong, attractive voice and is a radiantly beguiling, smart Elle. It would help her case if she weren't saddled with the show's least appealing songs."

Chad Jones, The Oakland Tribune: "For a just-hatched show, this Blonde is in awfully good shape, though (not to disparage blondes in any way) it doesn't have a whole lot going on in its pretty head. And that's OK. Sometimes you just want a musical to shake its sparkles at you and make you smile. Rather than feel guilty about that, if the musical is crafted with a degree of skill and intelligence, you can sit back and enjoy... [The score] treads the line of pleasant if unremarkable pop and disco with hints of R&B. Heather Hach's book attempts to make characters more interesting than they were in the 2001 movie, which, frankly, isn't much of a challenge... The hero in all of this is Jerry Mitchell... The romance between Elle and Harvard teaching assistant Emmett (the charming Christian Borle) is still a few flames short of a blaze... But then again, there are pleasures like Bundy's cute-as-a-button Elle, Orfeh as sassy hairdresser Paulette and Andy Karl as the UPS guy who steals Paulette's heart and nearly steals the show. Though they're more effective as valley-talking sorority sisters than as Elle's only-in-her-brain Greek chorus, Annaleigh Ashford, Leslie Kritzer and DeQuina Moore ratchet up the vivacious quotient whenever they're onstage. They rev up the feel-good, girl-power motor that keeps the musical buzzing along for more than 2 1/2 hours."

Pat Craig, The Contra Costa Times: "The Broadway-bound musical is a bounce of happy energy that explodes from the stage with bolts of cotton-candy-colored lightning... [The creators] have made Blonde a big, noisy Broadway show in the most traditional, and best, sense. It has been written as a contemporary piece with cultural references that have a very short shelf life (indeed, if the show has a long run on Broadway, which seems close to a certainty, there will have to be fairly frequent updating)... Director/Choreographer Jerry Mitchell has imbued the show with a sizzling pace that allows many of the supporting performers, particularly Blake, Borle, Annaleigh Ashford, Kate Shindle, Leslie Kritzer, DeQuina Moore and Orfeh, to shine in classic dance and comedy bits that give the piece a wonderfully nimble style."

Karen D'Souza, San Jose Mercury News: "This is girl power gone wild. This is booty-shaking as self-help. This is arm candy as extreme sport. In its world premiere at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre (it's scheduled to bow on Broadway in April), this here is a vapid-and-lovin'-it guilty pleasure show that truly dares to bling it on. Props to Jerry Mitchell for some, dare we say, awesome dance routines... Bootylicious moves plus J-Lo-esque duds (Gregg Barnes' couture is so juicy it drips!) and rad Barbie dream house sets (kudos to David Rockwell for his use of a bat-pole onstage) well may make this musical a ka-ching magnet on the Great White Way. Still, in his directorial debut, Mitchell handles the whole character development thing with somewhat less agility. Despite a bubbly-meets-snarky book (by Heather Hach) and score (by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe), Elle's journey from wannabe trophy wife to Harvard valedictorian doesn't really register on an emotional level."

Hear Me Out

It seems like I've known about the musical In the Heights since I started in the theater business (which I'm sure isn't true, but you get the point). It was always buzzed about as the show that would help usher in a new era in musical theater, making it cooler and more attractive to young audiences. Thus I've been following it and knew the show well before I entered 37 Arts to see the full production this past Friday. Even though this isn't an official site, I will not write my opinions of the show pre-opening, that is not fair. What I will write about is the size of the show.

When I sat through a festival presentation of But I'm a Cheerleader a couple of years ago, I was shocked at how much I liked it. I was never a fan of the movie, but the show, while it needed tightening, worked. But I sat there wondering where it could possibly play. A few days later, it began receiving positive reviews and yet I still knew its future possibilities were limited. Its cast size was too big to have a financially viable off-Broadway run and it wasn't on Broadway material.

So I was shocked that producers chose to mount In The Heights with a full ensemble. I knew the goal was to have that big a cast, but I just assumed, as the ensemble isn't that essential, someone would require a cast trimming pre-production. But, no. There are over 20 cast members in the Playbill. It must be the most expensive off-Broadway musical I've ever seen. Sure, the producers partially own the theater complex the show is based in, so they are probably saving in rent, but still, it has to be costing a ridiculous amount of money to run this show. Plus, the initial capitalization must be sky-high for off-Broadway. All this for a show that is at 37 Arts, aka in the middle of nowhere.

To put this in perspective, Altar Boyz has seven cast members including the understudies, received a rave Times review and has been running at New World Stages (which has a better location than 37 Arts, though I still call it Dodger Stages, no matter how many times David Gersten tells me I'm wrong) for almost two years and hasn't recouped yet. Sure, it is in a theater with less seats that In The Heights and has a lower top-ticket price, but still... You have to think Altar Boyz, a musical about a boy bands, has a much more universal following that a musical about life in Washington Heights. I mean, I send all my random friends that come into town and want to do off-Broadway, instead of on, to Altar Boyz. Do tourists even know where/what Washington Heights is?

So, I'm just shocked at the financial planning behind a musical like In The Heights. The producers cannot think they will ever make money with it at its current location. I assume the theory is--mount it off-Broadway and if it is a hit, move it, and if it is not a hit, you haven't lost as much as you would by mounting it directly on Broadway. That must be it.

Speaking of possible off-Broadway to Broadway transfers, I've been trying to listen to a recording of Feeling Electric. I think the rumor first spread six months ago that this show was going to be getting the Spelling Bee treatment at Second Stage (complete with similar backing). Now, I saw it when it was at NYMF and I didn't think it was good. I've now been listening to the recording and don't get it. Can someone tell me what I'm missing? Please? I like to get things.

Silence!

I am a little pressed for time tonight, but I don't like to miss a post. Firstly--I read some comments from a few posts ago and on one of them Moxie wisely pointed out that voters haven't been invited to Coast of Utopia yet. That is indeed true. They don't need to be invited before the eligibility decision, but it is interesting to point out that they have not been. I sort of figured voters would not be invited until all three parts started performances because I just figured LCT would want the voters to have the option of seeing them all within a short time frame. I myself can't imagine sitting through the marathon, but Moxie said people really want to, so good for them.

For a short second note, I just wanted to point something out with Evil Dead closing. I'm hearing about less upcoming off-Broadway musicals than I usually do by this time of year. Rock of Ages had money, lost money, had money and now doesn't again. Silence! is having some backers readings. Opposite of Sex is being mentioned again. And there are some more.... But usually I know of 12 gearing up for a big press and, this year, not so much. Have people finally gotten wise? Probably not. Maybe it's the weather.

It's electrifyin'?

Grease: You're the One That I Want doesn't worry me like it does many others. I don't think it makes Broadway look cheap; I don't worry they are going to hire horrible people. The reason the show bothers me, in addition to being extremely poorly produced, is that it is disingenuous. Watching the show, you would think all the professional actors featured waited online like normal folk. But I know for a fact that certain people were called and asked to audition. So it was set up to not truly be a search for a great unknown. And thus, watching it, I keep wondering what else is fake.

There's a little rumor...

That title has nothing to do with this post--I only wrote it because I had my favorite In My Life song in my head.

For some reason, this was a big few days for my phone. I got all these phone calls from industry folks (and a good amount from friends and family). Most of the industry calls were from people who were asked to help fund Talk Radio, which currently doesn't have enough cash to, um, get on the air. Though none of the people who called me coughed up any dough, I'm fairly sure the producers will get it (if they haven't already) and the show will happen, so there is no point in dwelling on that. Some of the calls were about "star" replacement casting that I won't divulge here because I don't want to cause message board attacks before these people are even signed. I mean, when it was my job to report such news, that was one thing... but, now, it's not. Though I will say that one of the people that will be announced shortly is in one of my favorite campy movies of the last five years. None of you will guess from that, I'm sure, but, if you think you have, email me (carajoy@gmail.com).

Now that I've discussed what I'm not really talking about, I'll tell you what I learned this week that I wanted to share. In preparation for my big Tony coverage, I really needed to answer one of my outstanding Tony questions: What the hell is going on with Coast of Utopia?!? No eligibility stories that I read this time around mentioned the shows and there are a lot of questions related to them. Coast could be one show or three. All the actors are below-the-title and could be featured, but, also, some could be moved up. Without answers to these, we won't be able to accurately assess Best Play (though I think they'll be counted as a singular entity), Best Actor in a Play, Best Actress in a Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play or Best Featured Actor in a Play. It appears, Coast of Utopia eligibility will not be dealt with until the spring. So no questions regarding the show will be answered before then. It's going to be tricky to make picks in those categories before then. Sure, you can assume the play is a single entity, but that doesn't tell you anything about the actors. I would think they'd move people up, but LCT has a history of not petitioning for things. They got burned last year with Frances Sternhagen---maybe they've learned their lesson--but you just can't assume that.

In summary, for all those who thought the sentence "All other decisions were consistent with the opening night credits" applied to The Coast of Utopia: Voyage and/or The Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck, know that it did not. Those decisions are still pending.

All I ever needed was the music

I honestly don't personally care when a show announces a theater, Roundabout announces casting for something at the Laura Pels or anything of the sort, but I've always cared about Tony eligibility decisions. I like them because they follow few logical rules. They aren't based on precedent--they basically go according to what the title page of the Playbill says or what the producers ask for. So I always think looking at them tells you a little bit about what is going on in the industry.

When I used to cover the eligibility decisions, I always prepared a list of questions in advance. This was helpful because a lot of things aren't included on the press release the Tony people send out. Sadly I no longer cover them really and no one seemed to ask the questions I wanted answered. So I will just write about the limited amount of things we did learn.

Mary Poppins score being eligible is worthy of a mention, though I expected it to be eligible. Likewise I knew there wasn't any chance directors and designers of Chorus Line and Les Miz would be getting nomination plaques. What most interested me was the decision to keep A Chorus Line's Charlotte d’Amboise, who is below-the-title, in the featured category even though Donna McKechnie won a Tony for Lead Actress for playing the same role in the original production. Now, I'm not saying the character of Cassie should be lead, but I have a distinct feeling the decision not to petition was based less on righting a past wrong than on d'Amboise's chances of being nominated for Best Actress, which were virtually non-existent. Charlotte is a community favorite, and even though her performance in A Chorus Line was far from universally embraced, she has a shot at a nomination in featured. The leading field not only includes Chenoweth, Ebersole, McDonald and Murphy, it also has Block, Brown, Bundy, Monk and Michele among the possible nominees. So, in that category, not so much. And it's all about nominations--it's not about who is lead or featured. It's only about reality when a production thinks they can't get away with something; that happens, but, let me tell you, it is rare unless the something is completely ridiculous. Like there is never going to a Mama Rose in featured, but I wouldn't be shocked if someday we saw a Gypsy in lead.

There goes the baker with his tray...

I must admit that I am sort of happy Beauty and the Beast is finally going bye bye. (No one tell Jim Byk I wrote that.) I had heard Disney wanted the Lunt-Fontanne for The Little Mermaid, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I feared a Beauty move. And while I don't wish for the failure of things, I really did not want another Broadway house tied up by Beauty and the Beast. I mean--the piece of crap has run long enough. I admit the story is often effective, but, during that beer number, I always want to get up and leave. It goes on and on and on... I still think I respect it more than The Grinch, but, that's really saying very little.

Anyway, those of you who know me, know I am the biggest Little Mermaid fan. I used to have a mermaid on my window at my office with a little sticky pad note that said "Kerry" and an arrow, after Kerry Butler was announced for an early reading. (That was before Celia played it and before the Sierra Boggess rumors... It was also back when Emily Skinner was Ursula, not Sherie Rene Scott.) I have not been wowed by anything I've heard concept-wise about the stage production, but I am still eager to see it... I am holding out hope. And I want everyone to go visit http://www.francescazambello.com/ in preparation.

Theater Time

Yet another disappointing episode of Grease: You're The One That I Want is behind us as I write this. I have to say, watching it sort of made me unmotivated to do anything theater-related for the rest of the night. But it's blog day! And it's time for the list of Broadway theaters and their inhabitants!

I like to look at this list myself when I am trying to decide if something can or cannot come in this season. For instance--would The Scene have a theater to transfer into this season? (Note that for such a transfer to happen, producers would have to recast the show's leading man, so I am not confident that it will move, I am just saying hypothetically.) Well, looking at the list it is clear there is nothing available for The Scene unless funding for Radio Golf or Xanadu drops out, a teetering show closes or an upcoming show bombs extremely quickly.

Things that are in the color blue below have not been announced. I used to have things on the list like the Benny/Bjorn musical Kristina (which wanted the Broadway or the Hilton) and Tale of Two Cities (which was also rumored for the Hilton) as tentative, but I thought readers might get confused and begin expecting to actually see those things. Plus, I can't put Kristina on if I refuse to put The Wiz on and I refuse to put The Wiz on because I am confidently rooting for Hairspray. Though I am putting Young Frankenstein on the list just because I want to.

Shubert Theaters
Ambassador -- Chicago
Ethel Barrymore --- Company
Belasco -- Journey's End
Booth – The Year of Magical Thinking
Broadhurst --- Les Misérables
Broadway --- The Color Purple
Cort --- The Little Dog Laughed --> Radio Golf
John Golden --- Avenue Q
Imperial – Coram Boy
Longacre – Talk Radio
Lyceum -- Inherit The Wind
Majestic – Phantom of the Opera
Plymouth/Schoenfeld – A Chorus Line
Royale/Jacobs – Frost/Nixon
Shubert –Spamalot
Winter Garden -- Mamma Mia!
Music Box – The Vertical Hour --> Deuce


Nederlander Theaters
Brooks Atkinson – A Moon for the Misbegotten --> Grease
Gershwin – Wicked
Lunt-Fontanne -- Beauty and the Beast
Marquis— The Drowsy Chaperone
Minskoff – The Lion King
Nederlander -- Rent
Palace -- Legally Blonde
Richard Rodgers – Tarzan
Neil Simon -- Hairspray

Jujamcyn Theaters
Al Hirschfeld – Curtains
Walter Kerr – Grey Gardens
Eugene O'Neill – Spring Awakening
St. James – The Producers --> Young Frankenstein??
Virginia – Jersey Boys

Others
Circle in the Square – Spelling Bee
Hilton -- Pirate Queen
Helen Hayes – Xanadu
New Amsterdam – Mary Poppins
Studio 54 --- All Roundabout
American Airlines – All Roundabout
Biltmore – MTC
Vivian Beaumont – Lincoln Center

A quick post about something that annoys me...

I was going to write about theater availability tonight, but I'm too tired to construct the list. So, I am going to make this whole post about something I was just going to mention in passing--journalists reporting inflated sales figures. When Playbill reported Spring Awakening's advance was "approaching $2 million" 2 days after it opened, I laughed out loud. I thought "by approaching do they mean three-fourths away?" The Grease figure most recently reported is closer to reality, but still not quite there yet. And, here is the thing, journalists just print this stuff without backing it up. So--this is another one of my "don't believe everything you read--even if you see it here" posts. If you see printed copies of the producer's books, that's one thing. (While they could still be falsified, it likely wouldn't be worth the effort in most cases.) But, short of that...

OK, I really need to go to sleep. Theaters on Sunday!

I Dreamed A Dream

The big news for me this week wasn't Prelude to a Kiss and it wasn't Lea Salonga, it was about eating in the theater. No, not really (though that was close to the top of the list, of course). It also wasn't how bad "You're the One That I Want" is, though I could probably go on about that for days. It was actually the fact that Daphne Rubin-Vega will not be returning to Les Miz after what was scheduled to be a short "leave." Now, if I was in reporter mode, it would have occurred to me weeks ago when I heard about Lea that her casting meant no more Daphne (Lea would certainly not do just a few weeks), but, I have to admit, it didn't. I cheered Lea in my mind and then moved on, went away, thought no more of it.

I don't know how many of you remember this, but, after the opening night of Thou Shalt Not, Craig Bierko, who received horrible reviews (after the Broadway community had embraced him for The Music Man), said he had been injured during the opening night performance (supposedly Norbert Leo Butz, who received positive notices, had hit him in an incorrect way) and was out for a little while. At the time, I questioned the coincidental timing of this, but I knew somewhere in my heart that was unfair of me because he probably was hurt... and I'm too cynical... blah, blah, blah...

I still think, and this is backed up by zero proof, it was probably part injury to the body and part injury to the soul. I believe that is the truth. This time, I am going to choose to believe something that might not be true, but I don't care. I am going to choose to believe that this Daphne thing is part them not wanting her to return, but also part her not wanting to do it anymore. I know that very well might not be true. But I am going to choose to believe it--I don't want to hear any info to the contrary. Stop emailing me about it. I like Daphne, I always have and that's it.

I'm With Stupid

As I logged on to post this, I noticed that my last post didn't publish. I have no idea why that would happen, but, regardless, I published it, so that post is below this one. And now onto this post:

Let me tell you something that annoys me: people who call journalists that they don't know stupid (or some version of such). I'm not talking about those who write editorials--by all means, call them whatever you want--I'm talking about news and feature writers.

Last week I got an email from someone pointing out that on Talkin' Broadway some posters were picking on Gordon Cox. I know Gordon Cox and he's not stupid. I was tempted to register for an account just to defend him, but I didn't want to extend the chain. Then, this afternoon, I was forced into going to an industry lunch (and by "forced," i mean it actually involved someone showing up at my apartment) and some people there were calling another theater reporter I know (and like) stupid.

Here is the thing--some reporters are definitely stupid, but it would be hard for readers to make that determination unless the writer in question prints wildly incorrect things or continually omits obviously necessary information. The reason for this is, you never know what an editor has done to a piece. Over the years, I've handed in pieces and looked at the final product and thought "huh?" when reading some parts. (Over the years I've also made significant mistakes, so I'm not totally blameless, but that is thankfully irrelevant to this discussion.) That is just the nature of being an underling. And, because of that, it's very hard to determine the intellect of a writer. Now I understand the impulse to call a writer you don't know stupid, I've had it myself, but it's really usually uncalled for unless the conditions mentioned above are met.

That's it. That's all I have to say about it--if you want to call reporters stupid, don't do it in front of me. Of course, as this isn't edited by anyone, you can feel free to call me stupid. Though use a different word, please; I'm over that one.

Out with the old...

I doubt this week is going to be a big one in terms of blog reading, but I post nonetheless. Let me start out by wishing you all a joyous 2007. Actually, some of my readers are evil and to those people I wish a crappy 2007. But for the majority of you, I hope for you all the happiness possible.

Instead of continuing my list of stories of 2006, as I had planned to do originally, I am going to do something a little different. After all, you know the stories of 2006. So I want to discuss my answer to the question of 2006: Is the jukebox musical back?

With the success of Jersey Boys, all types of industry folks were heard saying "The jukebox musical is back." (They didn't stop saying this when Hot Feet and The Times They Are A-Changin' opened and closed because those were just considered crap.) This was odd for me to hear because, to the best of my knowledge, it never left. It's not like the movie musical. Jukebox musicals were never gone. Even as Good Vibrations and All Shook Up crashed and burned on Broadway, more were being announced and Mamma Mia! was still going strong. I am sure Jersey Boys made producers less nervous about their upcoming jukebox project, but to say the show had a huge effect on the industry is to give it too much credit. (Those who are going to post a comment or email and tell me that Jersey Boys opened on Broadway in 2005, please resist the urge. I know it opened in 2005, but its long-standing success was not 100% guaranteed until 2006.)

Even if 200 jukebox musicals fail in a row, someone will always be trying to create one, I fear. Because while it's easy to say every year, "Out with the old, in with the new," it's hard to create the new. And most people are lazy. They'll be that way in 2007 and forever.

Bah, humbug!

As I have been out of touch, I don't have that much to say. But I do want to write about something that annoyed me this holiday season--The Grinch.

I love children's musicals, I really do. I saw Seussical multiple times even. But The Grinch disappointed me. I'm sure it's fun for kids, but so is Happy Feet and Happy Feet is a lot less money. It really, really bothers me that a ticket to The Grinch is so expensive because you are paying so much for so little.

The show is 70 minutes long and they didn't even have enough material to make it that long. So they added random plots and repeat some Whoville song. Basically people are paying for maybe 50 minutes tops (and i'm being very generous) of substantial material, which means a person in the orchestra is probably paying about $2 a minute. Again, they may think it is worth it for happy kids, but, please, Happy Feet in IMAX would also cause joy. (Penguins that sing!)

Yet The Grinch is a huge hit--toppling Wicked and other Broadway giants this holiday season. Now I try to wish every show success, so part of me is glad, but, part of me is also annoyed. This is not theater. And I fear people who are first-time theatregoers (which I'm sure many in the Hilton audience are) are going to think this is what Broadway shows are like. I mean, at least there is some vision behind Tarzan (however cloudy a vision that may be); The Grinch is all green spectacle and little else.

Dear readers...

Cara here. I have internet access back! Yay! But sadly I don't have time to write a full post. I promise I'll do one on Wednesday.

Happy holidays!

I do not have internet access

Someone else is typing this for me. Thus, no blog post today. The person typing is refusing to transcribe more than this.

2007 Starts Soon

I was thinking of writing about watching Debbie Reynolds watch Carrie Fisher perform, but instead I will appeal to a broader base of my readers by starting my list of top 2006 theater news. This list is in no particular order and will be continued in later posts. Today's entry is just the start. I will not be including any deaths in the list because, well, I always hated writing obits or tributes. And I'm not doing any research for this list, so I am sure I will miss things. But these are the things that made a mark on me and it is my blog.

HELLO PRETTY WOMAN AND GOODBYE PRETTY WOMAN
--Broadway producers are always trying to attract celebrities to appear in shows, yet the Broadway community isn't always very welcoming to them when they are here. Before Julia Roberts even started performances in Three Days of Rain, theater insiders were already balking and complaining about the traffic the stage door crowds would cause. Then she came, wasn't very good and didn't get a Tony nomination. Shortly after Three Days of Rain ended, it was sort of like it hadn't even happened. She sold tickets like crazy, but nothing about the show left a mark (even the performance of my beloved Bradley Cooper). So, goodbye, Julia, we hardly knew ya.

A SNOTTY BRITISH PLAY TRIUMPHS
--Everyone I know who saw History Boys in London thought it was great, but too British (aka intellectual) to work in America. Then it came here, was a sold-out smash and won a lot of Tonys (though didn't break the record for a play, as had originally been reported by many). See--Americans do go see smart things. But please, no more Irish monologue plays.

R.I.P. VAMPIRE MUSICALS?
--Warner Brothers Theatre Ventures was so gung-ho about their first Broadway show--they poured tons of money into it and had a general enthusiasm for the process. Too bad that first show had to be Lestat. Will they ever gamble that big again? On a related note, the last few seasons have brought us Dance of the Vampires, Dracula and Lestat. I believe we're done now.

TWYLA THARP DOES NOT HAVE THE MAGIC TOUCH
--So many people assumed that Tharp could fix the problems with The Times They Are A-Changin' before it came to New York. I kept hearing "Movin' Out was in worse shape and looked what happened to that." But, um, Times was no Movin' Out (which I loved). An odd concept and bizarre execution of that concept buried the show. I am all for people trying to do new things, but if you have clowns taking attention away from your main actors, you have a problem. One of the many problems she could not fix. So, sorry Twyla isn't magic, but hopefully she'll try again. Without it being a circus.

THE LITTLE SHOW THAT COULD
--I am the first person to say that I thought Drowsy Chaperone would bomb. I saw it in LA and pictured it crashing and burning on the Great White Way. It wasn't the name really, it was more the subject matter. I saw it in LA and simply didn't buy the whole "it's about any collector anywhere" crap--it seemed to me to be for people who really, truly love old-fashioned musical theater and that group ain't big enough to fill the Marquis for even one night. Also, I thought the music wasn't great enough to engage anyone and... well, there is more... But this isn't a review, this is a story of success. The Drowsy Chaperone is a big hit, despite no stars and an odd name. It gives others hope and that is a great, great thing. I applaud the people that were smarter than me and brought this show in.

That's it for tonight. More someday soon... And if you have something that struck you this year, post or email away.

A 9% Chance of Success...

I'm really tired tonight. VERY exhausted. So a long post would just fall into rambling...

But I do want to post a short thing about High Fidelity. It caught me by surprise on Monday when I heard posting this week was an inevitability. I assumed the show would try to last through the holiday weeks, as most do. I was taking odds on a January 7 closing. I really can't remember the last time something opened in December and closed before New Year's (other than a holiday concert or special event).

Is it again in vogue to actually close things that should be closed? For a while it was all about hanging on--even if some sad producer had to mortgage his/her house. But this season has seen two things open and close quickly. I for one hope that producers have again realized, usually, things don't miraculously get better for faltering shows post-opening. I always hate when people involved with a show at like 32% capacity each week justify staying open by saying "People love it." Ok, even if that is true, it doesn't matter unless they love it enough to get many other people in there. Once you look at the advance and know that that 32% hasn't referred all their nearest and dearest, pull the plug. So, even though I can't admire High Fidelity's producers for putting the show on Broadway without having the main character go visit his ex-girlfriends and with a song about his latest conquest sleeping with Lyle Lovett, I can admire them for making a smart decision now.

In my crystal ball...

First I tackled Best Actress in a Musical and now… drumroll… Best Actress in a Play.

So let’s break ‘em down:

Swoosie Kurtz, Heartbreak House
---I loved Swoosie in Heartbreak House because I swear she was channeling Anne Heche. I might have been the only one who saw it, but it was there. I actually thought that she’d get a bunch of bad reviews for it, but she was well received in the role (yay). Despite her good notices, she doesn’t really have a chance at a nomination. The show will be long gone and this season, unlike last season, is a very tough one for leading ladies.

Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed
--Julie White deserves the momentum Christine Ebersole has going into the tough months ahead, but she sadly doesn’t have it. She has a well-deserved nomination on the way, it is just that she faces tough competition from esteemed stage veterans. (Does anyone want to go up against Angela Lansbury, Marian Seldes and Vanessa Redgrave?!?!) But I personally hope she has a chance at the win. It’s time for everyone to catch the Julie White fever. I know a lot of you have it, but we need more, more, more. I thought everyone should catch it back when Bad Dates was here, so I am hoping the rest of you are simply a few years behind.

Julianne Moore, The Vertical Hour
--I’ve said it before on this blog and I’ll say it again, I’m a Julianne Moore fan. I was excited to see her onstage and I was thrilled when, in Act II, she did her trademark big cry. Some critics went for her, some didn’t. I myself have to admit she wasn’t amazing or anything, but, if it was last season, she’d still have a shot of being nominated. Sadly it’s 2006-2007 and she has very, very little chance of getting a plaque.

Vanessa Redgrave, The Year of Magical Thinking
--I never read the book, but I know there is a lot of material here to go crazy, cry and show emotional depth. These are things that Redgrave is good at. If it wasn’t for Lansbury, she’d be the front-runner. As it is now, they are very close to the top position with Redgrave a little behind in the odds.

Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
--If I had to put money down now, I’d say she has a nomination. I’d also say she has very little chance of winning. She got really good reviews in London and I’m sure she will here too, but it won’t be enough this year.

Angela Lansbury, Deuce
--It’s been over two decades since Angela Lansbury was on Broadway for an actual run in anything. Plus this four-time Tony winner is a pretty beloved figure. I don’t think I need to say any more.

Marian Seldes, Deuce
--People always love Seldes, but she is around so often, we’re all sort of used to her shtick. Unless she is more amazing that she has ever been, most people will probably spend the majority of their time focusing on Lansbury. That will amount to a Seldes nomination and that is about it.

Prelude to a Kiss lead TBA
--You know, I should have asked my sources who this was going to be, so I could better write these odds. But I’ve been busy. So, let’s just say, whoever it is, is going to have a tough time. If it’s White, Redgrave, Best, Lansbury and Seldes that is it. So the Prelude star will have to knock one of those people out--probably Best will be the most vulnerable—and that might be extremely challenging. Anything can happen, this lead could be amazing and others could falter, it is just not looking like it is going to be an easy nomination for this actress.

NOTE: I do not think Translations or Radio Golf have lead actresses, but, if I find out I am wrong, I will update you all.

You better shape up; You better understand

With You’re The One That I Want gearing up, I thought it was a good time to look back at the last American reality show that promised to bring us a new theater star. Does no one else remember?

Fame, which was on NBC (home to You’re The One That I Want), was supposed to place its winner in Fame on 42nd Street, which had yet to begin at the Little Shubert Theatre. But then the guy who won was a 35-year-old bald guy, so clearly he was not going to be in Fame onstage. And thus the producers had to make some “Oh, the winner just had to be offered a role” type excuse to explain why Harlemm Lee would not be seen off-Broadway.

You may wonder why this is important and it’s not. But it is essential for people watching You’re The One That I Want to remember that it’s about casting Sandy and Danny. (They are also not casting from a totally unknown pool--I know an actress that was called about doing it--but that is another story.) Therefore no fat girl, no matter how great she sings, is going to be in it at the end. That’s completely sad (and very non-PC), but it’s true. This is a reality show that is not about finding the most talented singer or dancer, it’s about being right for one of two very specific roles.

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

Last season my friend Kevin Manganaro and I, both big Julianne Moore fans, were sitting at Junior’s in Brooklyn discussing how we wouldn’t likely see Ms. Moore on the stage anytime soon. See, Moore had often discussed in interviews how she didn’t like to do the same thing twice—multiple takes annoyed her; we reasoned that doing the same show eight times a week would be worse than doing three crying takes. A week later she was announced for The Vertical Hour.

I have never enjoyed any David Hare play I sat through or read. While I wasn’t bored by Stuff Happens, I felt it wasn’t really a play. And the rest of his canon has just generally made me want to sleep. So I wasn’t thinking I’d love it, but I thought that it would receive good reviews (The Times loves Hare, I naively reasoned) and I was semi-confident she would be somewhat well-received. I believed she would be rewarded for being better than Broadway’s last celebrity, Julia Roberts. This is of course all before The Vertical Hour started performances. I tend to think if Vertical Hour had opened right after Three Days of Rain, Moore would have received better reviews that she did when it opened last week. But, that’s not what happened. And, while she did receive some positive notices, her performance rightly won’t go down in the history books as much of anything. Even critics who liked Moore, spent more time focusing on the acclaimed performance of her co-star, Bill Nighy.

Was it a bad move for her to come to Broadway? And, more importantly, will others see her Broadway run as a bad move? I ask this last question because it has been a while since Antonio Banderas was lauded for Nine. The reception received by Denzel Washington, Roberts and Moore doesn’t exactly encourage celebrities to flock to the Great White Way. (I won't consider Hugh Jackman in this discussion because he was known to be a stage actor.) Indeed, I know of one major celebrity who was looking for a project for next season and is now being advised by agents to wait a little bit. Alas. (I refuse to answer those of you who respond to these sort of things by saying, “Good, more work for a real stage actor.” Because it must be understood that many worthy projects will simply never be produced or revived without a celebrity.)

I tend to think overall celebrities will do what they want—if they really want to come to Broadway, they are not going to care what was said of Julianne Moore in a snoozer play. Their agents might care for a minute, but, there is a “well, we can still rock it” egotism involved that often wins out. And, of course, critics should not go easy on celebrities just because it could mean a better chance of seeing Brad Pitt next season. But it is interesting to consider what current reviews do in fact mean to seemingly unrelated projects in development.

I just realized that the majority of you are probably bored by this. And it’s 7:49am and I haven’t been to bed yet, so, I’m done.